The Beautiful Dance
by a.k.a.-ashley
Summary: Lucas and Peyton decide what the really need in life is each other, but first they have to face some brutal truths from each other. Post "What is and never should be"
1. A push in the right direction

**The Brilliant Dance**

**Summary**: Lucas and Peyton decide what they really want in life is each other, and they won't let anything or anyone stand in their way. Set post "_What is and never should be"_

**Author's notes**: This is going to become my little side-project. The sequel to The Man… is coming along, I have the entire thing mapped through chapter seven but it's just taking some time to write it all out. So please just stick with me, and I hope all my awesome readers will show some interest in this new fic as well.

**Chapter 1**:

Two weeks had passed since the party at Nathan's house had gotten wildly out of control. Everything had been turned upside down in Peyton's already crazy world, the one guy she thought was different turned out to be like everyone else and that was a bitter pill to swallow. She'd been avoiding him and his messages left on her cell phone. She just wanted to be left alone, away from him and whatever pathetic explanation he would toss her way in an attempt to redeem his character.

Peyton's life was routine now. Her time was spent at school and cheerleading practice. Then she'd come home to an empty house every night and spend her time staring at her blank sketchbook. But there was something different about this day. She'd come home from practice to find Haley, sitting on the front steps of her porch. Peyton cut the engine to her car and climbed out, crossing the gravel driveway towards the porch.

"Hey." Peyton said as she took the empty spot near Haley on the steps. "What are you doing hanging out here?"

"I just wanted to see how you've been; I haven't seen much of you lately, I thought you were avoiding me." Haley sounded upset.

"I'm sorry Haley, I wasn't avoiding you on purpose." Peyton sighed. "I just wanted to be alone, that whole mess at the party was just embarrassing."

"Do you mean the fight or finding out about Lucas and the barslut?"

Peyton just shook her head, "Both I guess."

"Well if it makes you feel any better most of the school thinks you definitely kicked her ass." Peyton laughed bitterly as she lightly touched the spot on her lip where the large cut had finally healed. Haley's tone grew more serious as she confronted Peyton with the truth. "It's ok to admit that you're hurt by what Lucas did."

"But it's not ok Haley, the way I feel right now? The pain and the disappointment that I feel every time I see him. I know that Lucas and I made Brooke feel the exact same way when she found out about us sneaking around behind her back. I'm Nikki in some less slutty form. I betrayed my best friends trust to be with her boyfriend"

"I don't know all the details of what happened between the three of you, but what I do know is that what happened wasn't only your fault. Lucas has become this person I don't know anymore. After he started dating Brooke he started doing these stupid, out-of-character things like getting that fake i.d. and that stupid looking tattoo. He and Brooke used to go to bars and get wasted off their asses. And then he sleeps with some girl like Nikki. That just isn't him. But you have to believe me when I tell you that through it all Lucas loved you." Peyton was annoyed by the last comment.

"He has one hell of a way of showing that he loves someone then." She just shook her head.

"I think you two need to sit down and talk about all this stuff."

"I don't know if I can see him right now." Peyton said as she tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"You don't have much time." Haley said cryptically.

Peyton was noticeably confused by what Haley had said. "What are you talking about?"

"Just go see him soon, trust me." Haley stood up and wiped the dirt from the bottom of her jeans. "I miss you Peyton, you should start coming around more often you know?"

Peyton stood up as well and gave her friend a quick hug. "I'm sorry Hales."

"Yeah I know you are, know are you going to talk to him?" She asked.

"I'm going there right now, thanks for the talk Haley I appreciate it.."

"Well that's what I'm here for."

Haley stuck around for a little while and the two girls spent some much needed time just hanging out. It was after Haley left that Peyton decided she was ready to go see Lucas, she had so much she wanted to say. She only hoped he would still be around


	2. Brutal honesty

The Brilliant Dance

Disclaimer: Not my characters, only my ideas.

Summary:  Lucas and Peyton decide what they really want in life is each other, and they won't let anything or anyone stand in their way

Author's notes: Chapter 2 is up. Read, review and let me know how you all like it. I'm still trying to get the first chapter of The Man… put together but I'm suffering from an unbelievable case of writers block and it's starting to piss me off now. But I'm writing and re-writing the chapter and I promise to have it up by next week… scouts honor.

Chapter 2:

            Haley's urgency became clear to Peyton as she stepped onto the small porch that led to the outside door of Lucas' bedroom. Taking in the scene in front of her she saw his small room filled with moving boxes. The walls were stripped of his basketball posters; his once overfilled bookshelves were now bare; aside from the closet of un-packed clothes, there was little evidence that he had ever lived there.

            She stayed in the doorway, watching him work with his back to her. He was cleaning out the last of his dresser drawers, shoving the neatly folded clothes into one large box. Peyton knew she only had a few minutes before he would feel her staring and turn around, she still had no idea what she would say to him. And then he turned just slightly towards her and she saw the black ink of his tattoo peeking out from underneath the sleeve of his white t-shirt. And that is when she knew exactly what she wanted to say. It wasn't the tattoo that got her as much as where the tattoo had come from, the whole thing was just in some way symbolic to her.

            "So this is how it's all going to end?" Lucas spun around on his heel and faced an angry Peyton standing in the doorway of his room.

"Peyton?" Surprise was evident in his voice.

"So things get a little out of your control and you decide that the best remedy to your problems would be to pack up and leave town. Were you even going to tell me you were leaving?" she was angry and hurt, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't going to make things easy for him.

"I figured you wouldn't care if I left. I was just going to leave you a letter." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I bet that was a short letter." She stepped into his room and slammed the door behind her. "What does it say 'Sorry I'm a coward, I'll see you around'?"

"You know what Peyton, don't come in here and criticize me for things you wouldn't understand." He pointed an angry finger at her.

"Oh no, I think I understand everything pretty clearly. You made a bunch of shitty choices this year and instead of owning up to them you decide to skip town. And by the looks of things, and the way Haley was talking, you're leaving pretty soon." She said pointing to his various boxes.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. So thanks for coming by and making me feel like shit before I left. Why are you so pissed off anyway? I thought you hated me after what happened with Nikki."

"Don't throw yourself a pity party Lucas." He rolled his eyes and she hesitated a minute and felt suddenly nervous. "I never hated you. I was just disappointed in you. After what we had, or almost had, together I just… I couldn't imagine going out and sleeping with some random guy. I thought we meant more to each other than that. Finding out about you and Nikki that hurt me more than you will ever know. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be hurt by someone close to you?"

"Yeah I do." He said staring directly at her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean." She asked angrily.

"It means that I know how it feels to be hurt by someone you care about, by you actually." He pointed his finger at her again. He was being a dick and he knew it.

"Stop pointing your fucking finger at me Lucas. I want to know what the hell you're talking about. Was it that night at Nathan's, when we almost…" her voice trailed off and he just shrugged his shoulders. "Unbelievable. I can't even believe you're going to compare that to what you did with Nikki. I was scared that night Lucas, you were saying all those things to me about having it all, and us being together."

"Yeah, I meant all those things Peyton. I wasn't just saying all that stuff to get you to sleep with me, I meant everything I said."

"I just wasn't ready for that, I wanted to be ready I really did. But I guess I just took too long getting there right? You tossed those feelings aside pretty fast so you could get with my best friend."

"Is this what we're going to do the whole time? Hash over all the things we've done to each other." He seethed; she definitely knew how to push his buttons.

"Yeah, and I'll start. If you really meant all those things you said that night, about us being able to have it all, how could you move on so fast with Brooke?"

"I pursued you for months Peyton. The little games you thought you had to play with me sucked me in. I fell for you, hard. But you feel you have to build this wall around you to protect you from ever getting hurt. And I just didn't have the strength to try and tear the damn wall down again." He turned his back to her and ran his hands across his face before facing her again. "And with Brooke I could forget about your constant rejection. For the first time in my life I knew what it felt like to not a give a shit, when I was with her I didn't care about the rules. But the whole time I was with her I couldn't let myself forget about you, as hard as I tried, your face was always there."

"What about that night I came by your house and I told you all those things. I told you how I felt, and that I wanted to be with you. Why didn't you say something then?" she asked.

"I guess I just wanted you to know how it felt to be rejected, what it felt like to put your heart out on the line and watched it be ripped apart." He spat out bitterly.

She nodded her head in silence before looking up at him with pain evident in her eyes. "I felt it Lucas, and feeling that rejection made me realize what I had done to you. And I thought my punishment was to sit by and watch you and Brooke have what we were supposed to have."

Lucas sighed heavily; he hated to face his own mistakes. "What Brooke and I had, I knew in my heart that it would never compare to what I knew I could have with you. We had a connection Peyton, an unbelievable connection." He reached out and grabbed her hand. He needed her to remember that connection, to know that it was still there. She looked down at their joined hands; she let herself forget the pain for just a minute before she pulled away from him.

"So what exactly where you and Brooke al about, sex? Those are the girls you seem to go for." She shook off his attempt at an interruption. "Brooke was my best friend. I knew all about the things she did with the guys she went out with, and having heartfelt conversations isn't something I picture the two of you doing. And I think we both know you and Nikki were all about the sex right?"

"Peyton it wasn't like that…"

"I know that I don't have much room to talk. When I was with Nathan I don't think we ever had a serious conversation about anything. And you couldn't even really call what we had a relationship it was all about… well a topic you're familiar with. But I don't ever want that again. I don't want to be that girl."

"I'm not asking you to do that again Peyton, I don't want that. I want you, I just want you." His voice softened. "We can have this, we can be together. Let's just put all this shit in the past and start fresh. If that's what you want."

"Aren't you supposed to be leaving town." She asked bluntly.

"I can't leave if you give me a reason to stay. Please, give me a reason to stay Peyton." He said. His eyes were pleading with her to ask him to stay.

She moved slowly towards him, her hands placed gently on either side of his face pulled his lips down onto hers. He kissed her back with all that he had, his arms wrapped underneath hers. His body melted into hers, he wanted to be wrapped up in her forever. She pulled her lips from his just enough for her to whisper. "Stay." was all she said. She felt his smile form against her own lips.

"This feels so right." He pulled her closer and held her tightly against him.

"I don't want us to screw this up Lucas, I can't lose you again."

"We have to do things the right way, no sneaking around this time. We'll go the traditional route." He smiled.

"What does that mean?" she asked

"I mean, what are you doing tonight at around 8:00?"

"Why do you ask?" she grinned.

"I'm asking you out on a date, dinner and a movie. If that sounds ok to you?"

"That sounds good, it's a date then." She kissed him once more before glancing down at her watch. "I should go get ready then, I only have two hours."

"We're gonna make it Peyton, I can feel it." He kissed her once more before letting her go, the taste of her lip balm lingered on his lips.

She nodded her head. "I'm not giving up this time."

"I'll pick you up at 8 tonight."

"I'll be ready." He walked her to the door and they shared a long kiss goodbye before she pulled away and walked to her car. She looked back over her shoulder and threw him a smile. He watched her car disappear from his driveway before turning back to his room. Inside, he scanned the bare room and shook his head. It was going to take him forever to unpack all the boxes.

You read it now you have to review it! Reviews are my drug please feed my addiction!!


	3. Hiding in the Dark

The Brilliant Dance

Disclaimer: Not my characters, unfortunately

Authors Notes: Third chapter is finally up, read and review pretty please! I love hearing what you guys have to say.

Chapter 3

Her closet was full of clothes: vintage rock t-shirts, jeans, long sleeved tees, the occasional denim skirt, and her black leather jacket. She passed over each hanger carefully for the third time attempting in vain to find something, anything, to wear on her date. After one final pass over her clothes she was completely frustrated. So he picked up her phone and called the one person she knew could help.

Fifteen minutes after she hung up the phone she was relieved to see Haley James standing on her front porch.

"What's the big emergency?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"I need your help finding something to wear." Peyton said tossing her hands up into the air.

"What's the occasion?" Haley asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"A date with Lucas." She smirked as she watched Haley's eyes widen.

"Oh wow, that's great Peyton. You guys worked things out it sounds like. So does that mean he's not leaving town?".

"Yeah he's staying. We worked a lot of things out and there's still more stuff we need to deal with, but for right now we're just working on being together." Peyton smiled.

"I'm so happy for you guys, and it's about damn time." Haley said giving Peyton a quick hug. "Now let's go find something for you to wear.

They quickly climbed the stairs towards her bedroom. Throwing open the doors to her closet, Haley quickly glanced over Peyton's wardrobe before turning to her friend.

"Peyton there are plenty of things for you to wear." She said running her fingers over the row of clothes.

"But not for a date, it's all too casual."

"Trust me Peyt, Lucas won't care what you're wearing, he'll say none of that matters to him. But between you and me he likes the way you dress especially the leather jacket." Haley smiled reassuringly.

"I'm acting like some crazy chick Hales, I guess I'm just nervous about tonight." Peyton shrugged.

"What do you have to be nervous about?"

"I've never really done the dating thing you know, I've done the whole 'park in a dark place and see where it goes' sort of thing. I've never had a guy come and pick me up for and take me to a dinner and a movie. It's sort of new to me. Does this make any sense?"

"It makes perfect sense. You and Nathan never seemed to work, he was such an asshole. Strong emphasis on the _was, _of course_._ It's perfectly ok to be nervous and I'm sure Lucas is a little nervous too." Peyton seemed to calm down a little at her friends words of encouragement. Haley grabbed her hand and led the girl over towards the closet. "Now pick something that goes with the leather jacket."

An hour later Lucas was knocking on her front door promptly at 8:00. Her heart raced a little as she swung open the door to meet him. She was a little relieved to see him wearing casual clothes that matched well with her own.

"Hi." He smiled.

She leaned in and kissed him, one arm wrapped around his neck. "Hi yourself."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah let me just grab my bag." She ducked back into the house long enough to grab her purse from the hall table and then lock the door behind her. "I'm ready."

"You look great." He said fingering the collar of her leather jacket. Peyton smiled and kissed him again.

The only movie theater in town was in the middle of a classic movie marathon. The theater was nearly empty for the 10:00 showing of 'Rebel Without A Cause'. After dinner at a small Italian restaurant Lucas and Peyton found themselves sitting in the back row of the dark theater sharing a bag of popcorn.

He watched her as she stared intently at the screen, her focus locked onto the movie. He was startled when she turned and looked at him suddenly.

She arched her brow just slightly and grinned. "What?"

"How many times have you seen this movie?"

"Why?"

"Because you're over there moving your lips with the dialogue."

She tossed a piece of popcorn at him. "I am not."

"You are Peyton. How many times?" he whispered.

"At least ten times." She grinned.

"Why didn't you say something? We could have seen something self."

"I would not have seen this movie ten times if I didn't love it. I mean there are so many things to love about 'Rebel Without A Cause': James Dean, the leather jacket, and classic black and white film, all indicators of being a great film. But I just like being here with you." She leaned in closer to him, her hand resting on top of his.

Still focused on her movie, she traced light circles into the palm of his hand. A touch in the right spot would cause his fingers to suddenly flex. Lucas' attention wasn't completely focused on the movie or the current sensation in his hand. He was watching the only other couple in the movie theater make out like a couple of love-starved teenagers.

Peyton looked over at Lucas and followed his fixed stare towards the couple sitting about eight rows in front of them. After a few seconds of gawking she nudged him sharply with her elbow.

"Ow, what was that for?" he said rubbing at the spot on his ribs where her elbow had hit.

"You're staring." She laughed.

"I was just waiting to see if either of them were going to come up for air soon. They've been going at it forever."

"Are you feeling left out? I'm sure the old guy sitting up front won't mind if he's the only person watching the movie." Peyton whispered, wagging her eyebrows at him. She leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the neck.

"Oh shit." He said in a sharp whisper.

Peyton pulled back from him quickly. "What is it?" she whispered back.

"That's Brooke, down there making out with that guy." Peyton looked closer, squinting her eyes in an attempt to better see the dark figure below them.

"It is her."

"This is the last thing we need tonight. She's going to cause a god damn scene if she sees us." He leaned back in his chair running, his hand angrily through his hair. "I hate dealing with this bullshit over and over."

"I feel like we should say something to her. But then I feel like we don't owe her an explanation, she made it clear she wants nothing to do with either of us. The last thing I want to deal with is a big confrontation with my former best friend, so what do we do?"

"After the movies over we'll just hang back until they clear out of here, hopefully she hasn't seen us yet." He sighed.

"Or maybe she's already seen us and that's why we're being treated to the gratuitous public display of affection. We're not going out of our way to hide from her. She'll find out sooner or later." Peyton shook her head in silence; she knew that Brooke was going to come at her with the gloves off.

"Let's just finish the movie ok? Forget all this crap for right now." He turned to her and she nodded in agreement. Pulling her close, she rested her head against his shoulder and he kissed her gently on the forehead. "Everything is gonna be fine."

She wasn't so sure about that.

Read, review and I'll love you forever!!


	4. The revolving door

**The Beautiful Dance**

**Disclaimer**: None of the characters are mine.

**Authors Notes**: The muse is on my side with this story right now. The ideas just keep coming. I'm still unsure about the length of this one, I want to start really concentrating on my sequel. I know you guys have been asking about it, and believe me it's coming.

**Chapter 4**

The closing credits began to roll several minutes later. Peyton and Lucas hung back as the theatre lights came on, illuminating the nearly vacant room. Peyton breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw Brooke and her date get up and leave shortly after the movie ended.

Lucas turned to Peyton. "Let's get out of here." She nodded, and he stood to stretch his cramped legs. He held out his hand and she took it.

They walked out of the theatre still holding hands. "So how's the movie the eleventh time around?" Lucas grinned.

"It's still just as good as the first. Although the eleventh time was just a little better."

He swung open the exit door and held it open for her. "And why was this time better, it wouldn't have anything to do with the company would it?"

"No not the company, I've never seen it on the big screen. It's definitely better in wide screen." She smirked as he gave her a mock look of hurt. "Oh the company wasn't half bad either."

He threw his head back and laughed. Peyton grinned and pulled him closer towards him. They stood still in the middle of the sidewalk, he brushed a strand of curly blonde hair from her face. She smiled at him and reached up to kiss him.

"Well if it isn't my former friends, boy and girl." Brooke's sudden presence caused the pair to pull away from each other quickly. The guy she was with in the movies hung back some distance behind her talking on his cell phone "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I mean please don't stop on my account, it certainly never stopped you two cheaters last time."

"It's nice to see you too Brooke." Peyton said rolling her eyes.

"So are you guys like on a date." She pointed at the two. "That's so very domestic." Brooke sneered.

"Now see Brooke if you were still my friend that may be your business. But you're not my friend and it's not your business." Peyton seethed. "Let's go Lucas." She grabbed his hand and began to pull him away.

"Enjoy it will you can Lucas, Peyton is only good for one thing, a good screw. Just ask all her other boyfriends, she doesn't know the meaning of commitment. Once she gets tired of you, she'll drop you faster than you can imagine." Brooke called out from behind them, loud enough for anyone passing by to hear. "She doesn't care about anyone but herself, and believe me, that's not a girl you take home to meet mom. Peyton Sawyer's been around the block more times than the mailman. She's nothing but a lying, cheating slut."

Lucas stopped walking. "Enough of this." He mumbled under his breath. Peyton wouldn't let go of his arm, she was silently pleading with him to keep walking. Her cheeks were crimson red, flushed with embarrassment.

"You have no right to talk about her like that." Lucas said angrily, he stood directly in front of Brooke staring down at her.

"It's all true isn't it." Brooke smirked.

"You of all people should be careful what you say about other people, you wouldn't want to come off as a hypocrite." He glared at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your reputation is pretty well known around town, so you don't have much room to talk." He didn't want to hurt her, but he had to protect Peyton.

"So what you come and insult me, and stick up for your girlfriend. Peyton needs a big strong man coming to her rescue?"

"I'm not going to sit by and let you say this shit about Peyton. I know that she's probably pissed at the fact that I'm defending her right now, but I have to." He glanced over his shoulder at Peyton, who was staring down at the ground.

He waited for some biting remark from Brooke but she remained silent. "There are certain things in life that we have no control over. I couldn't help who I had feelings for, or didn't have feelings for. As much as I tried to make myself love you, I just couldn't. You deserve to be with someone who loves you, and that's not something I could give you. That's why I ended things with you, it wasn't because of Peyton."

"A typical Lucas response I guess." Brooke rolled her eyes and tried to brush off Lucas' explanation. In her heart she knew what he said was true. She'd known early on in their relationship that Lucas never felt the same way about her, as she had for him. But she wanted him and Peyton to hurt for what they did. "Make up an excuse that leaves your image unscathed. You think you can make up some bullshit story and that'll make everything ok."

"We never wanted to hurt you Brooke, you have to know that. We were going to tell you everything the night of my accident, but we obviously never got that far."

"So that's what you were trying to tell me that night in your room, that you and Lucas were together, isn't it Peyton?" Brooke looked past Lucas and glared at Peyton.

It was completely out of character for Peyton to sit by and let someone tear her apart. But for some reason she did with Brooke. Maybe it was out of pure embarrassment that she'd kept her mouth shut, how does she respond to someone calling her a slut in public? Maybe she'd just let Brooke guilt trip her because she thought she deserved it. Whatever the reason had been for her to keep quiet it was now forgotten and Peyton knew she had to defend herself.

"Yeah Brooke it's all true. That's what I was trying to tell you when Haley called, we didn't want to lie to you anymore. As much as you don't want to believe it I hated having to deceive you. You were my best friend, and it was never my intention to steal Lucas from you. But things happened, you didn't deserve to find out the way you did. I understand the fact that you were hurt and angry at me and Lucas." Peyton's voice was surprisingly calm.

Brooke seemed to calm down as she listened to what Peyton had to say.

"None of your apologies or your understanding attitude change what you did." Her once calm demeanor was shattered by the bitter tone her voice produced.

Peyton threw her hands up in the air, a look of disgust crossed her face. "I just, I can't do this anymore Brooke. This all happened months ago and if you want to hold onto this grudge forever than go right ahead. But I'm done with it. I've apologized a hundred times and I meant everyone. Accept that or not, I really don't care anymore. So call me a bitch and a slut all you want, I'm sure I deserve it. But I'm done giving a shit about what you think of me." Peyton turned on her heels and walked away passing Lucas without giving him a second glance. She walked quickly down the street, her hands shoved into her jacket pockets and gaze directed down at the passing ground beneath her.

He stood rooted to the ground for a second, watching Brooke walk away with her boyfriend in the opposite direction of Peyton. He finally snapped to attention and ran off to catch Peyton. She was halfway down the street by the time Lucas had made his way to her.

"Peyton where are you going?" He yelled after her. "Will you stop for a damn second." He finally reached her. "Peyton stop!" He said grabbing her gently by her arm. She whirled around at stared at him.

She jerked her arm from his grip. "Leave me alone Lucas." She started to walk away again, this time with Lucas right on her heels.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I need to be alone Lucas."

"Peyton what is going on? Why won't you talk to me?"

"I can't do this Lucas." She said.

"What? You can't do what?" He felt like all he was doing was asking question after question. For some reason she was shutting down again.

"I, I can't do this." She motioned at the space between them. "Brooke was my best friend for years. I hurt her worse than I have ever hurt anyone. I destroyed our friendship by cheating with her boyfriend. Us being together hurts her, and I've hurt her enough." Peyton covered her face with her hands.

"But that stuff you said to Brooke, about not caring about what she thought." He looked at her questioningly.

"Those are all the things I wish were true, I want to be able to forget about her and how she feels. I want to move on and not let what she says affect me anymore. But I just can't, I can't do that to her."

"So what are you saying Peyton? That this is over, you don't want to see me anymore?" The hurt was evident in his voice.

"No matter what I end up hurting someone I really care about. I don't want to hurt anyone." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared down at the toes of her black converse sneakers.

"Peyton, please look at me." He grabbed her face between his hands and stared into her eyes. "You can't live your life for other people. What does your heart tell you? You have to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some of the people you love."

"I know." She leaned forward and kissed him softly, pulling away she wiped away the gloss she left on his lips. "That's why I'm sorry I have to hurt you."

She turned and walked away leaving him standing in the middle of the sidewalk; Lucas could do nothing but stare after her completely dumbfounded. It was then that he felt as if the earth had opened up beneath him and swallowed him whole. Feeling as if he couldn't stand anymore, he sat on the curb and buried his face in his hands.

_You know the drill. Please review, let me know how you liked it. I would totally appreciate it!_


	5. The Things He Would Do

**The Beautiful Dance**

**Disclaimer**: These characters aren't mine.

**Authors Notes**: Chapters are going to become more sporadic as I continue to work on Don't Let Go, but I still love this story and I'll update as soon as possible.

**Chapter 5**

It had been a few days since Lucas had seen Peyton, he spotted her across campus one day and they made eye contact for a brief moment but she looked away quickly and became absorbed in the lunchtime crowd. He'd left her messages after that night, but since the first three had gone unanswered he didn't bother to leave anymore. Haley was the one who noticed the change in his demeanor, he barely spoke to anyone including her. He kept to himself during class, ate lunch alone at the far end of campus away from everyone else and after school he walked home by himself.

Home was where he was currently, alone in his room. Sometimes he'd read a book or attempt to study. But today he was lying on his bed just staring up at the ceiling, trying to decide how he felt that day. It had become his daily ritual, trying to decipher the emotions that invaded his head. Sometimes it was anger or bitterness and other days it was sadness and rejection, but most of the time he just felt empty. He didn't want to be sitting in his room alone feeling sorry for himself because he knew he must have looked pathetic, but she consumed his every thought. All he seemed to be able to think about was her, how much he missed her, how much he needed her. But he couldn't help but be a little angry at her, after all she was the one who left him.

The door to his room suddenly opened and none other than Haley James herself came barging in, slamming the door shut behind her. It startled him at first and he jumped to his feet.

"Damn Haley! Knock much" he yelled after her.

"If I had knocked would you have let me in." Lucas just shrugged his shoulders and sat back down on his bed. "Yeah that's what I thought. I'm worried about you Luke. You haven't talked to anyone in over a week. I'm your best friend, why can't you talk to me about what's going on?"

"Because I'm having a fine time throwing myself a pity party, and right now you're crashing it."

"What happened the other night with Peyton?"

"I don't really want to talk about it." He said firmly.

"Whatever happened, she's really upset. She won't talk to me either, I just want everything to work out between you two."

"Well guess what Haley, everything didn't work out between us. You want to know what happened that night? Let me tell you." Lucas was quick to his feet, his body tense with frustration directed wrongly at Haley. "She came over to my house just as I finished packing my stuff, she told me how she felt and I told her how I felt. Then we went on a date and to the movies, and everything was going good Haley. It really was." His voice softened as he remembered the night. "If I wasn't sure I loved her before that day, I was sure ten minutes into our date. She looked beautiful and I just loved being with her. We had a great night up until the minute Brooke showed up."

Haley shook her head. "What did she have to say to you guys?"

"Just the usual stuff. We're both cheaters, I'm an asshole. She called Peyton some pretty nasty stuff in front of a bunch of people on the sidewalk. And Peyton hit back, she stood up for herself and told Brooke off. But Brooke still has this damn hold on her. When she was done yelling at her Peyton just turned and walked away from me, she said she couldn't be with me because it hurt Brooke and then she left me standing on the sidewalk."

"I'm sorry Lucas." Haley sat down on the bed next to him.

"I didn't know what to do afterwards. I just sat on the curb, trying to figure out what and the hell had just happened. I must have sat there for an hour, before I came home. It just hurts Haley."

"Have you talked to Peyton at all since?"

"I've left her messages and e-mails, she turned off her webcam. I even went by her house the day after but she wouldn't answer her door. She doesn't want to see me Haley, what am I going to do Haley?"

"I've never seen you like this over a girl before."

"It's different with her, I really miss her Haley."

"I know you do Luke, and that is why I'm going to help you get her back."

"Thanks for the offer Hales, but I don't think it's going to happen."

"Luke just listen to me, I think the only way to get through to Peyton is with Brooke's help. She's the reason Peyton left you. Maybe if Brooke knew how much you cared about Peyton she'd help in some way."

Lucas shook his head. "I don't think so Haley. Listen, I've got some studying to get done. I'll call you later though."

"Are you going to be ok?"

"I'll be fine."

"I want you to think about what I said." She hugged him goodbye.

"Goodbye Haley." He grinned.

He shut the door behind her and laid back down across his bed, an arm shielding the daylight seeping though his windows from his eyes. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew that Haley was probably right about everything. He knew in his heart that he would do absolutely anything to get Peyton back, even if that anything was a confrontation with his scorned ex-girlfriend.

Lucas arrived at Brooke's house an hour later. He took a deep breath before knocking, he stepped back from her door and waited for her to answer. He'd be lying if he'd said he wasn't nervous, anything could happen when it came to Brooke. He anticipated the door being slammed in his face after she refused to speak to him.

When the door suddenly swung open he held his breath. She stood in front of him, her arms folded across her chest. He cleared his throat and stepped forward just a foot. "I was hoping we could talk."

"You have got to be kidding me." She leaned against the doorway. The look she gave him was sly and manipulative and it was plastered across her face. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"I figured you wouldn't want to talk to me, I can understand that. All I really need is for you to listen to what I have to say. Just two minutes and then I'm out of your hair forever."

Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine, you have two minutes. And then when you're two minutes are over, you can turn around and walk your ass right off my porch."

Lucas nodded. He knew she wasn't letting him talk because she cared. But this was his last chance with Peyton and he had to take it.

"I must have told you 'I'm sorry' 50 different times. And I really did mean it every time. Peyton and I never meant to hurt you, we never wanted to hurt you. But I care about Peyton very much, she means a lot to me. I need her in my life Brooke, and I know that's hard for you to hear."

"Do you love her?" Brooke asked suddenly.

He was thrown by her sudden question. "I do, I love her very much. I hope you know how much she loves you Brooke."

"Excuse me?" Brooke shook her head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"That night at the movie theatre after our little confrontation, Peyton dumped me. She left standing on the sidewalk and told me she couldn't do it."

"So what the hell does that have to do with me?"

"It has everything to do with you Brooke. Peyton dumped me because she knew how much it hurt her best friend to see us together."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe she dumped you because that's what Peyton does"?

"No, I didn't" he said angrily. "She told me that no matter what, she'd be hurting someone she cared about. And for some reason she chose you. After all those things you said to her, after the way you treated her the past few months, she still chose you. I'm not going to pretend to understand it, my only choice is to accept Peyton's choice. Haley said I should come over here and try to make you understand, but that's not what I'm going to do. I'm not going to beg you to talk to her, to somehow get me a second chance with her. I'm here to remind you how great of a friend you have. She was completely unselfish, sacrificing her own happiness for yours. I hope you know how lucky you are to have someone like Peyton in your life, or should I say _used _to have. I would give anything to have what you what you threw away with her." He turned and walked away when he was finished, leaving Brooke standing, speechless, in her open doorway.

_Review, let me know what you think please!!_


	6. Alone in this

**The Beautiful Dance**

**Disclaimer**: None of the characters are mine

**A/N**: Review, review, review!

_This chapter dedicated to my faithful reviewer lysser8312. Thank you so much for all your reviews!_

**Chapter 6**:

Peyton hadn't fared much better than Lucas in the two weeks following the Brooke debacle. She'd been avoiding everyone; more specifically she'd been avoiding Lucas. It made her sick to see him hurting because of her. Lucas deserved better then her, she knew that. He needed someone who wasn't so screwed up; someone who wouldn't break his heart by choosing someone else over him. She chose Brooke, her former friend that didn't want anything to do with her.

She'd seen him a few random times around campus. She always watched him from a distance though, being careful not be to be seen by him. Peyton knew where he hid during lunch at an old picnic table, under a shade tree, near the edge of campus. He always ate alone, and when he'd finish his lunch the rest of his time was spent reading or sitting in silence.

She had been caught once, watching him. He made eye contact with her, the look on his face was devastating he looked so hopeful, she looked away quickly and stepped back into the crowd being careful to keep an eye on him. He walked away, dejected, staring at the ground. A wave of guilt washed over her. She had done this to him.

Today was a day like any other. She came home from school and closed herself up in her room after throwing on her most depressing mix of music. She curled up on her bed and tucked her arms under her head. Her dad was gone again, he wouldn't be home for at least three more weeks. Even after all the years of being left alone in that big, empty house, she'd never gotten used to how incredibly lonely she was when her dad left. It was times like this that she loved having Brooke around, they always ended up having a week long sleep-over just the two of them. But that was no longer the case.

Peyton was soon absorbed in the music and didn't notice the figure in her doorway. Brooke knocked lightly to gain her attention.

She was startled to say the least to see Brooke standing in her bedroom. This was the last thing she needed right now, she wanted to be alone.

"What are you doing here Brooke?"

Brooke stepped into the room and folded her arms across her chest. "I wanted to know if it was true."

She didn't have time for these games. "Is what true Brooke?"

"Is it true that you dumped Lucas because of me?"

"Who told you that?"

"I don't think that really matters. I just want to know if it's true."

"And what if it is true?" Peyton snapped back. "Are you gonna want to be my friend again, because I gave up what I wanted so you'd stop pouting and acting like a selfish bitch."

"Screw you Peyton, I never asked you to give up anything."

"But you did Brooke, you wanted me to give up being with Lucas. You wanted him and it killed you to see that he wanted me more."

"Oh please." Brooke huffed.

"Why did you have to go after him Brooke, you could have any guy you wanted but you had to pick Lucas. You knew I wanted him."

"I never knew what the hell you wanted Peyton, and I don't really don't think _you_ knew what you wanted."

"Don't play Dr. Phil with me, okay Brooke, because I don't want to hear it. I knew what I wanted, and I wanted him. And yes, things were complicated between us but we were figuring things out. I needed you to be there for me as a friend not my opponent."

"What are you talking about?" Brooke rolled her eyes.

"That night of the basketball party at Dan Scott's house? You were trying to get back with Nathan so you could latch onto Lucas." Brooke was stuck now, and Peyton knew it. "What, did you think I wouldn't figure it out? You want to play the innocent victim in all this but it's bullshit. You were scheming behind my back to get him."

"So I stole him from you and then you stole him back, I guess we're even now."

"I've apologized so many times Brooke, and I don't remember why anymore. I thought our friendship was stronger than it really was. I took a chance and I followed my heart for once, and I ended up hurting my best friend. I'm sorry." Peyton was tired of the fighting and the anger, she wanted it to be over.

"You never answered my question. Did you break up with Lucas because of me?"

Peyton nodded silently. "Yeah I did."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to hurt you."

"Do you love Lucas?" Brooke asked quietly.

"Yeah, I do very much."

"Then why didn't you pick Lucas, you say you love him but you're not with him."

"I don't want to hurt him and I know I would eventually. I care about him so much, and I don't want to mess him up."

"You can't go through life scared Peyton. Take a chance, he'll fight for you."

Peyton looked up at her and nodded. "I'm so sorry for hurting you." She reached over and hugged her former friend.

The exchange was brief but it said so much between the two of them. "I'm sorry too, for everything." Brooke said quietly before walking out of Peyton's room.

Peyton laid back on her bed and stretched out over the blanket. Things between her and Brooke seemed to be slowly on the mend, maybe they'd never get back to where they were but only time would tell. Her next focus was Lucas, she needed to talk to him, to tell him the truth.

_A/N: Review. I'm sorry about the delay between chapters, school is crazy right now. So bear with me guys, I'll do my best to update sooner._


	7. Feel it in your heart

**The Beautiful Dance**

**Disclaimer**: Same old, none of the characters are mine

**Authors Notes**: I'm trying to update sooner, hang in there with me.

**Chapter 7**:

Peyton had finally reached her breaking point. The mess she was in with Lucas and Brooke had finally helped her realize that she was tired of letting other people control her life. She cared about Brooke very much, but for too long she'd let Brooke have too much say in her life. She didn't want someone telling her how to dress or how to act around guys. She wanted to date whoever she wanted without feeling guilty. She wanted to be with Lucas.

She'd spent the day working up the courage to go over to his house and tell him she was sorry for everything that had happened. She didn't know if he would take her back, hell she didn't know if he would let her talk. But she had to try.

She took the steps up to his house slowly, going over in her head what she would say to him. Peyton took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She was surprised to see Karen answering the door. Karen looked pleased to see her.

"Hi Peyton, it's nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too Ms. Roe. Is Lucas here?"

"Try the Rivercourt. I finally got him out of the house and he's down there with the guys."

"Thanks Ms. Roe, I'll try him down there." Peyton nodded and turned to walk away.

Karen had been right. Peyton found him at the Rivercourt playing ball with his friends. She watched him for a few minutes from the obscurity of her car. He seemed more upbeat than he had in the past few days, he might be willing to talk. It's now or never, she thought to herself as she climbed out of her car. Her legs felt like lead as she walked slowly to the court. She had to stop herself a few times from turning back to the car; it would have been so easy to run.

Peyton froze when Lucas locked eyes with her from across the court. He looked stunned to see her and stopped what he was doing, the other guys continuing to run the court around him. She walked to the edge of the court but Lucas still hadn't moved. Skills was the one who noticed Peyton's presence and the effect it was having on Lucas and the rest of the guys realized what was going on.

"Hey Luke, we're gonna split. See you tomorrow man." Skills said gathering up his basketball. It was clear to Peyton that at least Skills knew about her and Lucas' situation.

"Thanks Skills." Lucas replied not looking away from Peyton.

Lucas didn't know how to feel about Peyton's sudden appearance. He knows he should at least be somewhat angry with her for what she did. She had hurt him worse then anyone in his life. But he wanted so badly to just take her in his arms and hold her, to erase everything bad that had happened between them.

Peyton was more nervous now than she had been earlier. "Can we talk?"

He all of a sudden decided that he wasn't going to make this easy for her. Why should he? She hurt him. "I don't really feel like talking right now." He said turning his back to her and grabbing his tattered old basketball from the ground and went back to shooting around.

"Fine, you don't have to talk. I'll talk." She wasn't surprised by his hostility, it had been expected. "I just wanted to tell you I was sorry for hurting you Lucas, I never wanted to do that. I chose to follow my loyalty to Brooke instead of following my heart, and I regret that more than you will never know."

Lucas stopped the ball in his hands and looked at her. "What did your heart want?"

"I wanted you Lucas, I always have." She said softly. "I just couldn't stand to see Brooke hurting because of something I did."

"So why was it ok for you to hurt me?" He asked sadly.

"Truthfully? I knew that Brooke was right when she said I'd only hurt you eventually. I wanted to believe that you could move on, find someone better."

"Is that what you wanted? For me to move on and forget about you"

"No that's not what I wanted, but it's what I had to believe to make my decision seem like the right one in my head. After it happened I saw how isolated you had become. You pulled away from everyone. You were losing yourself because of what I did."

"So is that why you're here, because you felt guilty?"

"It's not like that Lucas. I'm here because I miss you. I miss that feeling in my heart whenever you're around, I miss you being my boyfriend even if it was only for a day. I need you Lucas, I want you."

Lucas felt a range of emotions coursing through his body listening to her say she needed him. His heart began to race and he was suddenly very aware of the fact that he could hear his pulse in his ears. He was so tired of all the bullcrap, he just wanted to be with her. The good and the bad, he wanted all of it.

"Peyton you have to listen to me." Lucas was incredibly serious and tilted her chin up forcing her to look him directly in the eyes. "I want you and I want us more than anything. But I've been through a really bad time since you left me, and I don't ever want to go through that again. I won't be able to handle you leaving again so you have to promise me you won't run anymore."

"This is where I want to be Lucas, right here with you. I'm not going anywhere." She promised.

"How do you know you're not going to leave?" His voice was child-like, full of hope and fearing rejection. Peyton had never seen Lucas so scared and vulnerable; it worried her a bit. All of his hopes were dangling on a very thin string and she couldn't hurt him again, she wouldn't.

"I know because I'm ready for this, because I can feel it in my heart," she touched him for the first time since they had broken up. She put her hand over the spot where his heart rested and felt his rapid heartbeat beneath her fingertips, causing her to smile. "I can feel it in your heart too."

"Peyton..." he trailed off. She felt her own heart skip a beat as he leaned forward and pulled her into his arms, his face buried in the crook of her neck. Peyton closed her eyes and held him tight, the back of her eyes stinging with the threat of impending tears.

Lucas pulled away from Peyton, reluctantly. He gently cupped the right side of her face and leaned in to kiss her tenderly on the forehead. "This is where I want to be too."

"Let's get out of here. My dad's gone again, I have the house to myself." Peyton said. She was surprised at how nervous she had sounded, at what taking her newly reunited boyfriend to her empty house would mean. She didn't want to come off as the kind of girl she had accused Lucas of liking during their big blowout a few weeks ago. But she loved him and it wasn't just about the sex, it was about being close to him.

Lucas nodded and Peyton was relieved to see him looking nervous as well. "Ok let's go." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight as they walked in the direction of Peyton's car. He wondered if this was all happening to fast, if maybe they should wait. But he loved her, and he had loved her for a long time. This was the right time.

_A/N: Ok let me know what you guys think, I need reviews. My next update is going to be for Don't Let Go, I've got that chapter about half way down. I'm looking to post that chapter by the end of the week, so watch for that._


	8. How It Is Supposed To Be

**The Beautiful Dance**

**A/N**: I've finished this fic to the point where I had imagined from the beginning. So I should be feeling like it's finally finished, but a part of me wants to keep this story going. I could take them so many places now, which is why this story isn't ending here. All your reviews and praise have meant so much to me, and that's really what keeps me writing.

**Chapter 8**

**

* * *

**

The drive from the river court to Peyton's house seemed longer than usual to her. Most of that feeling had to do more with her nerves than actual time or distance measurements, in truth her nerves had been running rampant since Lucas had agreed to come home with her. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous, it wasn't as if she hadn't imagined being with him dozens of time before. But this time it was for real

Peyton was so caught up in her thinking that she missed the turn in to her house, and failed to notice her mistake until Lucas casually pointed it out. She laughed it off, blaming it on her mind being somewhere else as she turned the car around. When he asked where her mind had been she just looked at him, which seemed to explain everything. Lucas could tell she was nervous, maybe as nervous as he was.

She finally pulled the car into the driveway and was quick to exit to her seat. Lucas was soon at her side, holding her hand tightly as they walked up the stairs of her front porch and into the front door.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked, leading him into the kitchen.

"Water would be good." Peyton pulled two bottles from the fridge and handed him one.

Almost a full minute passed without either of them speaking. The more time that passed, the more frustrated Peyton was becoming with herself. This was Lucas, she thought to herself, it shouldn't be like this.

"Uh, so the kitchen looks different." Lucas said, trying his hardest to sound casual. He couldn't handle the silence any longer.

"I repainted it a few weeks ago, mostly of out of sheer boredom. I figured I'm the only one living here most of the time so I might as well paint it the color I want."

"And this is the color you picked?" he asked gesturing at the walls.

"Why, you don't like it?"

"No, it's not that. I just never pictured you painting any room yellow."

"It's not yellow, it's called lemon frost." She smiled.

Peyton looked over at him and gave a look that told him everything. She was done with the small talk. Lucas inched towards her slowly, eventually coming to pin her against the counter. He leaned in and kissed her. She tried to respond by wrapping her arms around his neck, but her attempt was foiled when she knocked her open bottle of water to the floor spilling it's contents all over.

"Dammit." She groaned pulling away from him. Things were finally going right and she was sure this misstep would kill the momentum. Peyton grabbed a dishtowel from the counter and knelt down to clean the mess, mumbling out loud about how clumsy she was.

Lucas couldn't help but smile at her rambling. She was cute when she was nervous. "Peyton," he grabbed her gently by the elbow and helped her to her feet, "forget about the water."

"I'm really nervous." She sheepishly admitted.

"What are you nervous about." He already knew the answer.

Peyton just looked at him. "We are about to take a major step in our relationship."

"Oh, so that's what we're doing here." Lucas joked. His humor was lost on Peyton. "I'm sorry, not the right time for jokes. Peyton we don't have to do anything you are ready to do. I'm not going anywhere, I promise you that."

"Not many guys would offer to wait, especially any of the guys I used to date."

"I don't want to be that guy who disappointed you before."

"You're not." She said simply, coming closer to close the gap between them and kiss him. "But it's not that I'm not ready, I'm just really nervous which seems ridiculous."

"It's not that ridiculous." He held out his hand in front of her. His hand was trembling. "It's been doing that since we left the park."

Knowing that Lucas was as nervous as she was actually seemed to calm her a bit. Whatever doubts she might have had in her mind slowly vanished. She knew in her heart that Lucas wasn't going to hurt her, he really cared for her, loved her even. She wasn't going to let him go again.

Peyton grabbed his still trembling hand and pulled him close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. "Let's go upstairs."

Lucas mumbled a reply against her lips. He didn't want to pull away, everything felt with her in his arms. But he reluctantly broke away from her as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the kitchen. They climbed the stairs together, and Lucas took each one slowly in an effort to keep himself from running right to the top.

She fumbled with the doorknob, which got a laugh from Lucas since it was his fault she was having a problem with it as it was hard to concentrate on anything when he was holding her from behind and kissing her neck in just the right spot. With the door finally open she walked over to the bed and sat down, kicking her shoes into a pile. Lucas followed suit, dropping his own shoes near hers.

Their hearts raced as they lay back on the, Lucas lying next to her propped up on his elbow. She noticed him staring at her and gathered her arms across her chest self-consciously. He looked down at her and ran his fingers along her jawline.

"You're beautiful Peyton." He whispered softly.

She felt the sting of tears forming in the corners of her eyes, which she let roll slowly down the side of her face. Lucas looked concerned, but she smiled letting him know everything was ok. "No one has ever said that to me before."

"I'm going to tell you everyday." He promised her.

This is how it was supposed to be, she thought to herself as she leaned down and kissed him. Her hands moved under his shirt and up his stomach. She took her lips from his only long enough for her to get rid of his shirt, hers was next, tossed into a heap on the floor.

As he fiddled with her belt buckle, Peyton suddenly felt the urge to tell him something she had been holding back for the longest time.

"I love you Lucas."

He looked up from her buckle and stared at her, unsure of what his reaction should be to those words. He had waited for so long to tell her that he loved her, but held back because he didn't want to scare her or pressure her. But she had said it first, which made his heart skip the slightest beat.

"I love you too." For him it was that simple, loving her was that simple.

_Hands down, this is the best day I can ever remember, always remember_

_The sound of the stereo, the dim of the soft lights,_

_The scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers,_

_And the time on the clock, when we realized it's so late,_

_And this walk we shared together._

They lay together afterwards with the blanket pulled up under their arms and Peyton's head resting comfortably on his shoulder. His fingers wrapped up in her blonde curls that he loved so much.

"I meant it." She said softly, breaking the easy silence between them.

"You meant what?"

"When I told you that I loved you? It wasn't just something that I felt in the heat of the moment. I just want you to know that I meant what I said. I do love you."

Lucas knew what it meant for her to say those words. Peyton Sawyer hadn't had much experience with love, she never allowed herself to trust people or let anyone get too close.

"And I love you."

He looked over at the clock on her nightstand and instantly regretted it. It was getting late and his mom had no idea where he was, which was never a good thing. "It's late, and the last time I broke curfew I was grounded for month."

"Well as your girlfriend I don't want you to be grounded, I want to spend as much time as possible with you."

"I better get going then." He got out of bed and began to gather his clothes and dress.

Peyton pulled on a pair of pajamas and followed him down the stairs. She opened the front door and he leaned over and kissed her sweetly goodbye.

"I'll call you tonight." He waved bye as he walked down the steps and into the darkness.

"Hey Lucas," she called after him, causing him to turn on his heel "I love you."

_And you stood on your door,_

_With your hands on my waist,_

_And you kissed me like you meant it,_

_And I knew that you meant it_

**A/N**: _I must have rewritten this chapter a dozen times, and it still doesn't feel right, but that's life. Lyrics by Dashboard Confessional "Hands Down"_


	9. Bobby Doyle

**The Beautiful Dance**

**A/N**: I have no idea where I am taking this story anymore, so just go with it!

**Chapter 9**

After a few moths together Peyton had begun to slowly forget what her life had been like before Lucas. Not since before her mom had died had she felt this happy all the time. It was as if the dark cloud that had been hanging over her head for so long had finally lifted.

Peyton wasn't the only one whose disposition had changed over the months. Haley was constantly teasing him about the giant smile that seemed to always be plastered across his face whenever Peyton was around.

It was no surprise to them when news of their new relationship quickly became the new topic of choice in the Tree Hill High School rumor mill. The star basketball player and the cheerleader were likely to draw more interest than a regular couple. But just because it was expected didn't mean it wasn't a nuisance. Students they didn't know and had never spoken to thought they knew what was happening in Peyton and Lucas' relationship, every week there was a new rumor about them breaking up or cheating on each other.

The excitement eventually faded after a few months and Peyton and Lucas went back to being a normal high school couple. They studied together after school, watched movies on the weekend and kissed for what seemed like hours in the backseat of her car.

It was a healthy teenage relationship for the most part, there wasn't a lot of ridiculous drama going on. They rarely fought and any fight was usually solved soon after it began. They just liked being with each other to them it wasn't complicated.

It wasn't unusual for Peyton and Lucas to spend any amount of free time they had together. They had become virtually inseparable. So when Lucas fell ill on the night of a big party at one of the Tree Hill basketball player's houses, Peyton decided to skip it and spend the night with her sick boyfriend. But Lucas wanted her to go out and enjoy herself.

"I don't really want to go to that party anyway." Peyton tried to protest against a night out without him.

"You don't want to stay with me Peyton, I'm taking some cough medicine and going to bed. Go to the party with Haley and Nathan, I'll be fine." He'd left school before the lunch hour and was already in bed and in pajamas by the time Peyton came by after school.

"So you're telling me that you would rather me go to this party without you then stay here and keep you company."

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." Lucas laughed gently. "Go Peyton, have fun. And then while you're out just don't forget to miss me terribly."

"Fine, I'll go but I will not miss you." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Call my cell when you get home tonight, I might still be up later tonight." He said as she walked to the door.

"I will, bye." She waved before leaving.

Lucas had always been a light sleeper, but thanks to a few sleepless nights and a large dose of cough syrup, he didn't hear his cell phone ring the first three times. It wasn't until Karen came in and gently woke him that he realized it was almost 2:00 in the morning and his cell phone was flashing four missed calls from Nathan's cell.

He realized then that he hadn't gotten a call from Peyton yet. Lucas dialed his brother's phone first to find out what had been so urgent.

"Nathan, what's going on? It's almost two in the morning." His voice was gruff from sleep as he talked to his brother.

"Sorry to wake you up, I know you're sick but we're at Haley's and I think you should come and pick up Peyton."

"Is she ok?"

"Something may have happened at the party, a couple of guys from the Kennedy High basketball team crashed the party and one of the guys was hitting on Peyton. She seems upset, and won't talk to me and Haley had a little too much to drink so she's no help. She just wants you to come and pick her up."

"Ok, tell her I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and didn't bother to change out of his flannel pajama bottoms as he grabbed a sweatshirt and his car keys and headed out the door.

He knocked lightly on Haley's front door, ten minutes later, hoping not to wake her parents. Nathan answered the door.

"Where's Peyton?" Lucas asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'm right here." He looked across the living room and watched Peyton rise slowly from the couch.

"Are you ok? Nathan told me something happened at the party, what happened?" Peyton didn't respond to his interrogation only walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you ok Peyton?" he asked again gently, his arms firmly wrapped around her.

"I'm fine Lucas, I just want to go home."

"Well that's why I'm here, I'll take you home." He broke away gently and grabbed her hand. Nathan opened the door for them and Lucas and Peyton both thanked him for his help.

They didn't talk on the way to her house, she seemed to just want some quiet for the time being. And he didn't want to pry just yet. He pulled up into her driveway and turned off the engine. They didn't get out of he car right away, Lucas used the opportunity to try and talk to Peyton.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked gently, hoping not to upset her in any way.

"No." was her short reply.

"Nathan said that a few basketball players from Kennedy showed up and one of them was hitting on you, is that what this is about?"

"Partially."

"Did he try something with you?"

"Yeah."

"Peyton I'm really going to need longer answers than this. What did he do?" Lucas needed to know what happened.

"Do you want to know what he did, I'll tell you. He came in with his buddies and was being a loud asshole trying to crash the party, he had a few more beers and for some reason set his sights on me. I was minding my own business talking to a girl I knew and he came up to me and kept asking me what my name was, I tried to brush him off but he was really persistent. I tried finding Haley and Nathan but I couldn't. The more he drank the more he followed me around. And then he must have gotten tired of me ignoring him so he caught me coming out of the bathroom. He had his hands all over me." He could hear her voice breaking.

"Then what?" he prodded softly.

"And then I tried to push him away but he wouldn't listen so I slammed my knee into his groin and he dropped onto the floor in front of me. I finally found Nathan and Haley and told them we had to leave without going into any detail. And that's it. I don't know why I was so upset about it, I think I was just more scared than anything."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there with you Peyton, I shouldn't have made you go to that party. This whole thing is my fault." His voice was so full of regret.

"Don't say that, it's not your fault. It's that drunk assholes fault."

"I'm sorry Peyton."

"I know."

"Just tell me one thing, what was his name?" the look in his eyes told Peyton that Lucas wanted revenge.

"I'm not going to tell you who it was Lucas just so you can find him and beat him up. I'm ok, the situation is over. Let's just forget about this."

"I'm not going to do anything, I just want to know his name."

Peyton sighed and realized it wasn't worth an argument. "I think his name was Bobby Doyle. Promise me you aren't going to do anything Lucas."

"I'm not going to do anything. Do you want me to stay with you tonight, you might get sick just to warn you."

"I don't mind." She smiled.

Once Lucas had Peyton tucked into bed and he was sure she was asleep, he snuck out of her room and called Nathan.

"Hey Nathan, did I wake you up?"

"No, I just got done holding Haley's hair back over the toilet. How's Peyton?"

"She's ok. The guys who crashed the party play basketball for Kennedy, do you know a guy named Bobby Doyle?"

"Yeah he's their captain, he was there tonight. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious. Do we play them this season?"

"Yeah, home game next week."

"Good, listen don't tell Peyton about any of this alright."

"I won't Lucas, but are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I'll explain everything later." He assured his younger brother, before hanging up. That Bobby kid wasn't going to get away with how he treated Peyton, Lucas was sure of that.

_A/N: Next up, Lucas seeks revenge_.


	10. A Promise Broken

**The Beautiful Dance**

**Chapter 10**

To the casual observer it appeared that Peyton had recovered from her incident at the party a few days ago. But Lucas knew that it still bothered her. The memory of that drunk kid with his hands on her was burned into her brain, and as much as she refused to admit it, he knew. It killed Lucas to know that he wasn't there for her that night; he wasn't there to protect her.

Lucas knew that the basketball game between Tree Hill and Kennedy High School was coming up and he planned on confronting Bobby Doyle. He didn't want to fight the kid because Doyle wasn't worth the time. Lucas just wanted to help him understand that if he ever went near Peyton again there would be consequences. It was against type for Lucas to play the tough guy, but he was willing to look like a bit of a fool if it meant protecting Peyton.

Unfortunately for Lucas, Peyton got wind of who the basketball team was playing and warned him not to start any trouble with the Doyle kid. Lucas half-heartedly agreed but grew serious when he saw the look in Peyton's eye. If Lucas had learned anything in the past few months with her it was not to mess with Peyton when she had that look on her face. He promised that he wouldn't do anything stupid.

The night of the game had Lucas' stomach feeling unusually nervous. Peyton had driven him to the gym, like she had on so many other game nights.

"Remember your promise, please don't do anything stupid tonight Lucas. I don't want you getting suspended from the team over something that was my problem." She looked at him seriously. He only heard parts of what she had been saying, the moonlight shining through the windshield of the car was hitting her face at the perfect angle and he couldn't get over how beautiful she looked at that very moment.

"Lucas, did you hear me?"

"Yeah, don't do anything stupid. I won't." he leaned across the seat of her old black convertible and kissed her before climbing out of the car with his bag and heading to the gym.

Unbeknownst to them, someone had been watching their interaction from across the parking lot. Bobby Doyle had come on to Peyton that night at the party knowing she was a cheerleader from Tree Hill, he'd seen her before at games from last season, what he didn't know was that she was dating Lucas Scott. The unhinged young man smiled darkly to himself knowing that there was much trouble to be caused on this night.

As the two teams warmed up on opposite sides of the court, Doyle waited for the right time to get under Lucas' skin. He found the opportunity when both teams were clearing the floor. Bobby ran up within earshot of Lucas and struck.

"Your girlfriend wanted it bad." He sneered. Bobby Doyle looked exactly like Peyton had described. A thick mop of uncombed brown hair hung just above his small brown eyes and his large crooked nose gave him the appearance of a roughneck.

"What did you say?" Lucas dared him to say it again to his face.

"Your girlfriend came onto me. She was all over me. I'd keep an eye on her from now on." The grin on Bobby's face was cold and calculating.

Lucas had had enough of this kid already. Without laying a hand on him, Lucas leaned down and got into the shorter boy's face. "You're a liar." He snarled through gritted teeth. He wanted so badly to hit him; if anyone deserved it it was that guy. But his promise to Peyton and the hand's of his younger brother pulling him away were what stopped him.

"You don't want to do that Lucas, not now at least. Let's beat him on the court. He'll get what's coming to him." Nathan reassured his brother.

The game had gone how Lucas had expected it to after his run in with Doyle. The kid was hammering him every time the ref had his back turned. Bobby got a little bolder as the game wore on, slamming into Lucas hard enough to knock him to the floor. A chorus of boo's swept the gym but Lucas crawled slowly to his feet and waved off the cheap shot. He looked over towards the sidelines where Peyton was standing with the other cheerleaders; he gave her a slight nod to let her know that he was ok before running to the line to take his foul shot. It wasn't until Bobby had smugly insinuated that he had slept with Peyton, that Lucas completely lost his cool.

"I know why you keep the girl around Scott, she's a damn good lay. I'd like to get with that again sometime. She's a nice piece of ass, not the best I've ever had but…" he didn't get that chance to finish his sleazy comments as Lucas' fist connected squarely with his jaw.

Before he realized what he was doing Lucas knocked Bobby to the floor and laid punch after punch to his face. For all his talk, Bobby Doyle wasn't much of a fighter his only punch connected with Lucas' eyebrow and split open the area. Lucas didn't notice the blood flowing from above his eye, he was like an animal attacking his prey. He couldn't stop his fist, it was as if they weren't even being controlled by him anymore. It took three guys, including Nathan, to pull him off. They drug him, still kicking, out of the gym and into one of the hallways.

The adrenaline was still coursing quickly through his body as his chest rose and fell rapidly. He didn't even need to wait for the ref's reprimand, he knew he was ejected from the game and by the time Whitey would get around to him he'd be benched for at least two weeks. But none of that mattered then. Nathan left him alone to cool off in the hallway and returned to the game. Lucas struggled to catch his breath and only then realized that the cut above his eyebrow was bleeding. He wandered the hallway alone looking for a towel to cover his eye with.

The heavy double doors that led into the gym swung open loudly and Lucas turned to see who was coming into the hallway. Peyton was walking towards him in a huff, she looked angry.

"I asked you not to do anything like that tonight. You gave me your word Lucas. How could you go and do something like this?"

"You should have heard the things he was saying about you Peyton. I wasn't going to let him talk about you like that." He winced in pain as he pressed the towel to his forehead. The blood from his cut had left a sticky trail of crimson down the side of his face. He looked as if he'd just stepped out of an action movie rather than a high school basketball game.

"I don't need you to be my protector Lucas, I can take care of myself." Her words stung him. It was as if she had suddenly reverted back to the old Peyton who wouldn't let anyone close and kept her pain hidden away.

"Peyton I didn't say you couldn't take care of yourself."

"You didn't have to say it. You beat that kid to a bloody pulp because he made a play at your girl, not because you wanted to protect me." She looked away from him then, the cut on his face was making her feel guilty for yelling at him. "You need to get that looked at by the trainer. I'm going home and I want to be alone."

She left him standing alone in the hallway as she walked into the girls locker room to change out of her uniform. He had managed to ruin everything by letting his temper get out of control. The throbbing in his eye was getting worse and he knew he needed to get patched up before he could talk to Peyton, he only hoped she would be willing to listen.


	11. Healing Hands

**The Beautiful Dance**

**Chapter 11**

The athletic trainer didn't ask question as he examined the gash on Lucas' forehead, the look on the young players face spoke volumes about the night he was having. Lucas winced in pain as the trainer prodded the cut with his gloved fingers before determining that it wasn't deep enough to require stitches. The trainer, whose name was Mike, cleaned the area and applied a big white butterfly bandage to close the wound.

"Keep the area clean and you should change that bandage at least once a day." Mike threw the bloody strips of gauze and bandage wrappers away before pulling off his latex gloves and tossing them aside.

"Thanks." Lucas mumbled before sliding off the trainer's table. He wanted to get changed out of his uniform and out of the gym before Whitey caught up to him. The locker room was empty when he went inside, the game still had at least one quarter left, so he didn't make any attempts to change quickly.

After he dressed, Lucas walked to the mirror in the bathroom and looked over the minor damage Bobby Doyle had done to his face. The cut wasn't as big as he had thought it would be, after he saw the amount of blood that had dripped onto his uniform he had pictured a sizable gash. As he touched the bandaged area gingerly with his fingers, Lucas noticed that his knuckles were cut up and red. If his knuckles looked that bad he wondered how Bobby's face must have looked.

Lucas poked his head out of the locker room door making sure that Whitey wasn't milling around in the hallway waiting to rip the older Scott's head off. After he was sure his coach was still wrapped up in the game, Lucas made a quiet dash for the exit. He was almost to the door when he heard the booming muddled voice of his basketball coach.

"Scott, where and the hell do you think you're going?"

There was no sense in lying to a man that could see right through a person. "I was trying to avoid this." Lucas admitted.

"I don't know what got into you tonight Lucas, but you're going to have three weeks on the bench to think about it. I have a game to get back to, you see me tomorrow afternoon in my office and I'll let you know how else I'm going to punish you." Whitey turned and walked back into the gym without another word to Lucas.

If he didn't feel bad enough about disappointing his girlfriend, he felt even worse knowing that he had disappointed his coach and mentor. Whitey was the one person in the whole town who had given him the chance he had deserved when it came to basketball.

Lucas walked quietly out of the gymnasium and into the cool, crisp November air. He only lived a few miles from the school, but he wasn't sure he was ready to go home just then. His mom would be up and it would be hard to hide the injury from her, and when Karen found out that he had been in a fight he would never hear the end of it.

So he just walked. He had no real destination, all he knew was that he wanted to get away for a little while. The fresh air and quiet streets seemed to have a calming effect on him. Although he had convinced himself that he was wandering aimlessly around Tree Hill, it was no accident that Lucas had stumbled upon Peyton's neighborhood.

He walked down the street until he reached her house. The light in her bedroom was still on giving him a small glimmer of hope that she wouldn't turn him away. Lucas took the steps up the porch slowly and knocked softly. It took an agonizing few minutes for Peyton to walk down the stairs and open the front door. She wasn't all that surprised to see Lucas standing on her front porch, but she was surprised to see the condition he was in.

Lucas stood in front of her with his head cast down towards the ground and his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. He looked like a little boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She was finding it hard to remember what he had done that was so bad, her heart was breaking seeing him standing broken in front of her.

"Can we talk?" he asked unsurely, bracing himself for her rejection. When he looked up for the first time since she had opened the door, Peyton was surprised to see the butterfly bandage above his eye and the swelling that had begun to surround his eye. He looked horrible.

"Yeah come in," she said, holding the door open for him.

As he ran a hand across his face, Peyton noticed the cuts on Lucas' knuckles. "We should get these cleaned up." She grabbed him by the arm and led him into the kitchen. He sat at the small kitchen table while she pulled a dusty first aid kit from the top of the refrigerator.

"You don't have to do this." He said. "It's not that bad."

Peyton wet a small dishtowel and came and sat next to Lucas. She grabbed his hand and gently wiped away the dried blood that surrounded his cuts. Her touch was tender and she almost hated to admit that she liked being able to take care of him like this. Peyton felt his hand pull away slightly as she brushed over his raw knuckles.

"Sorry, did I hurt you."

"Not as much as I hurt you." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Luke." She started.

"Peyton, I'm sorry. I got out of control. I went to that game promising myself that I wouldn't get into a fight with that kid tonight. But the stuff he was saying about you, he kept insinuating that you slept with him."

"Lucas you know I would never."

"No, I know that Peyton. But I just couldn't listen to it anymore. I know he was egging me on and I took the bait, that bastard wanted me to hit him."

"You more than hit him Lucas, you nearly beat his face in. There was this look in your eyes while you were hitting him, I can't even describe it. But it scared me. And I don't ever want to see that look again." Peyton unwrapped a bandage and placed it over his cut.

"I'm sorry Peyton." Lucas had never meant anything more in his life.

"I know Lucas." She ran a hand over his hair and leaned forward to kiss the area just above the gash on his forehead. Peyton let her lips trail down his cheek before she kissed his lower lip. He pulled her towards him and continued to kiss her.

"Does this mean I'm off the hook?" Lucas asked pulling away from her lips.

"This means I'm not as angry anymore, but I man it when I say I don't want you ever getting in a fight over me again. I don't need you to beat anyone up to protect me."

"No more fights Peyton, I don't want to put you through that again." He held her hands in his and kissed her palm.

"I love you." She whispered with a wide grin.

"Yeah, I love you too. And I want to be able to stay here with you but I think I should go home and let my mom know what happened before she gets some other version of the story from someone else."

"Call me tomorrow then." She said. He stood from his chair and leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

"I will." He turned back to her once more before leaving. "And Peyton, I know I've already said it but I really am sorry that I hurt you."

"I know Luke."

His pace was a little faster as he walked home from Peyton's house, he held his head a little higher. He knew there was more punishments to be handed out by Whitey and his mom would be livid to know that he had been thrown out of the game for fighting, but knowing Peyton was ok made it all a little more bearable.

_A/N: I have no idea where I'm going with this, so the updates for this are going to be coming a little less frequently while I focus on Don't Let Go and another story. But I'm not forgetting about this one._


	12. Homecoming

**The Beautiful Dance**

**Chapter 11**

It had been an unseasonably hot April afternoon. Basketball workouts had been cancelled due to Whitey being under the weather. Peyton and Lucas decided to spend the afternoon at her house trying their best to keep cool.

The discovery of a long forgotten six pack of ice cold beer pushed towards the back of the refrigerator gave the restless afternoon a new direction.

Lucas drained the last bit of amber liquid from his second bottle and set it loudly on the coffee table in front of him. He was sprawled out on the sofa in Peyton's living room with a large floor fan pointed in his direction. His girlfriend sat across from him in her father's favorite armchair.

"Let's play a game." He said twisting the cap off from his last beer.

"What kind of game?" She rested her cool beer bottle against her forehead.

"I'll ask you a question and you have to answer it." Lucas smiled.

"What kind of game is that?"

"I'm bored and it's the only thing I could think of that doesn't involve moving. Come on, I'll even let you go first."

Peyton eyed him suspiciously, but decided to go along with him. "Alright, who was the first girl you ever kissed?"

"That would be Haley James." Lucas laughed as he watched his girlfriend jaw nearly hit the floor.

"What? How could I have not known about this?"

"I think we both just pushed it far back into our repressed childhood memories." Peyton arched her eyebrow, silently letting him know she wanted the whole story. "We were 11, at her house watching _My Girl_ and she leaned over and kissed me. It took less than five seconds for us both to realize it was to weird to be kissing your best friend, and we never talked about it again."

Lucas ignored his girlfriends smirking and asked his question. "What would have happened if I had left Tree Hill?"

She was silent as she contemplated her answer. "I probably would have been a little depressed, but I would have hid it very well. Even when I was angry with you I never wanted you to leave."

"So you would have missed me?"

"I would have. There would have been a Lucas shaped gap in my heart if you had left." Peyton clutched her hand to her chest for overly dramatic effect. Lucas huffed and tossed a bottle cap in her direction.

"Alright next question."

"What is your favorite make out spot and song?"

"Oh that's easy. The cramped backseat of your car with Jimmy Eat World's _My Sundown _playing in the background." Lucas grinned as his mind wandered back to three weeks ago and that same situation.

"What is it with you and that backseat?" Peyton smiled as Lucas shrugged his shoulders.

"Did you ever love Nathan?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" she was taken aback by the seriousness of his question.

"It was my turn to ask the question, and now it's your turn to answer."

"I just asked you what your favorite make out song was and you turn around and ask me about my past relationship with your brother."

"I'm just curious Peyton."

She stared at him for a beat before answering. "No I was never in love with Nathan. And looking back I'm not completely sure I ever wanted to be in love with him. Nathan was a bad guy back then. I don't really know why I stuck around for so long."

"That's all in the past." He said gently. Lucas knew how hard it was for her to relive the mess from her past.

Peyton stood quietly from her perch, grabbed her half empty bottle and plopped down on the couch near Lucas.

"Why do you love me?"

"Because it's the easiest thing I've ever done." He said simply before drinking from his bottle. "We've been together for months and my heart still races every time you're close to me. I don't ever want that feeling to go away. I think I'll love you for the rest of my life."

There was something about the honesty and gentleness in his voice that made Peyton want him more in that moment than she ever had before.

Peyton practically dragged Lucas to his feet and up the stairs. She kissed him hungrily as they fell backwards onto the bed.

"So I'm guessing the answer was good." Lucas asked breathlessly as Peyton sat up and pulled her t-shirt off over her head.

"The answer was very good." Peyton grinned leaning back to kiss him.

Things would have gone much farther if it had not been for the familiar sound of a truck door slamming shut. Peyton hurried off the bed and over to the window, and saw her father's truck parked in the driveway.

She barely had time to warn Lucas before the front door swung open and Larry Sawyer announced his presence.

The two teens scrambled to pick up their few discarded items of clothing and dress quickly. As her father's heavy footsteps ascended the stairs Peyton pushed Lucas into her closet and shut the door just as Larry knocked on her door.

"Peyton, can I come in?"

Peyton opened her door and was genuinely excited to see her father standing before her. Larry stepped forward and wrapped his only daughter into a bear hug. "Hi dad."

"So did you have guests over?" Larry asked pointedly.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the empty beer bottles in the living room on my way up to see you and Lucas' truck parked out on the street. Why don't you come out of the closet Lucas?" Larry turned towards the closet to see the boy emerge from the closet with shame evident on his face. Larry knew that Lucas had been dating his daughter for month's and he had been grateful for the happiness he brought her.

"I want to know what's going on right now." The older man's cool demeanor was quickly fading.

"We were studying dad, and we just decided to take a break. That's it." Peyton couldn't look her father in the eye as she lied to him.

"Then why was Lucas in the closet and why is your shirt inside out?"

"Mr. Sawyer I can explain." Lucas started.

"I think it's best of you just headed home Lucas." Lucas nodded silently and left Peyton's room quietly without looking back at Peyton or her father.

It was a very rare occasion that Peyton would ever be angry with her father especially after his first time home in months, but this day was an exception. She felt her cheeks grow warm with anger and embarrassment.

"What is going on here Peyton?" Larry was firm in his voice. "I'm not completely naïve, I realize that when I'm gone you and Lucas are alone in the house. But it's a completely different matter when you're home alone with your boyfriend drinking beer and having sex in your room. This is my house and I'm not going to tolerate this kind of behavior Peyton."

"How is this your house when I'm the only person that lives here." She shot back.

"Since I'm the one that pays the bills." Larry hollered back.

Peyton could have counted on one hand the number of times her father had ever raised her voice at her. The fact that he was being so stubborn about the entire situation was making everything worse. She knew in her heart that she was right, her father was never around and Lucas was always there for her. But her dad couldn't see that.

"If you're done yelling at me I'd like to be alone." Peyton said turning her back on her father and picking up a sketchbook.

"I'm done, but I'm telling you right now Peyton I don't want you seeing Lucas for the time being." Larry closed the door behind him before Peyton could protest.

As soon as he had left Peyton picked up her cell phone and dialed Lucas' number. He answered on the second ring.

"Is everything ok?" he asked gently.

"No it's not. I don't know what has gotten into him but he's forbidding me from seeing you. And believe me Lucas you are not the problem and I don't want you thinking you are. Something is going on with him I just don't know what it is." Peyton paused for a second and remembered that Lucas had driven to her house. "You're not driving are you?"

"No I figured after a few beers and an unpleasant run-in with your father was reason enough to take my time and walk home. I'll come pick up my truck later tonight."

"I'm sorry that this happened Lucas."

"It's okay Peyton, we'll get through this just like we always do."

"I have to go. This little mess is wearing me out. I love you."

"I love you to Peyton."

She closed her phone and lay back on her bed. She could hear her father cleaning up downstairs but didn't bother to go down and help. It wasn't as if she was ready to go down and hash things out with him, she knew it would just lead to a bigger argument. But Peyton knew she couldn't avoid her father forever.


End file.
